LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain furloughed because of the government shutdown. NPR's Ava Pukatch spoke with one who is using his new free time to pursue a passion project.
AVA PUKATCH, BYLINE: Isaac Stein usually spends his day job working as an IRS lawyer writing tax regulations.
ISAAC STEIN: Would you like a napkin under, or would you want them...
UNIDENTIFIED CUSTOMER: Sure. Yeah.
STEIN: ...Wrapped individually?
UNIDENTIFIED CUSTOMER: That'd be great.
STEIN: OK.
PUKATCH: On a sunny Sunday afternoon on a corner in his Washington, D.C., neighborhood, he's wearing a suit and tie, working his hot dog stand Shysters Dogs. Its motto is, quote, "the only honest rip-off in D.C."
STEIN: I'm having a grand old time slinging hot dogs.
PUKATCH: A hot dog and a drink will run you $10. The stand is a realization of a childhood dream for Stein. He says while other kids enjoyed playing basketball in school, he had more fun manning the concession stand. This summer, he decided he wanted to open a hot dog business of his very own.
STEIN: I got all the permits in late September and then was furloughed on October 8.
PUKATCH: So with his new free time, the side project he started before the shutdown turned into a seven-days-a-week gig. It's a simple menu - a, quote, "correct hot dog" or a, quote, "hot dog with the wrong toppings."
STEIN: I'm trying to incentivize people to do what I think a correct hot dog is, which is mustard and sauerkraut. If someone wants other things, that's totally, totally fine. No judgment. But I do reserve the right to assess an additional dollar as a penalty.
PUKATCH: The rest of the cheeky menu includes RC Cola, MoonPies, dog treats, stickers and...
STEIN: If someone coughs up a solid grand, I will literally strip half naked, take the shirt off my back, call it a day and walk home.
PUKATCH: Has anyone taken you up on that offer yet?
STEIN: Not yet. Not yet. Although I think they do appreciate the attempt at humor.
PUKATCH: Stein says he sells about 50 hot dogs a day, and he's looking forward to getting back to his IRS job as soon as possible.
STEIN: But I'm definitely not giving this up. This is going to be a weekend project, I think, for life.
PUKATCH: And he hopes it can bring a laugh to the community, even if he has to charge you a 10% tax for ordering the wrong dog.
Ava Pukatch, NPR News, Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT TO GO!")
CHAPPELL ROAN: (Singing) It's time for supper. Order up. I'm hot to go. H-O-T T-O G-O. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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